The Goodlettsville baseball players who won their way to national glory two years ago will watch this year's Little League World Series from a distance as a team from South Nashville represents the Southeast this time.

But in one way, at least, the Goodlettsville boys continue to live out their dream run.

The players formed a bond in 2012 with an upstart team from Lugazi, Uganda, which became the first African team to win a World Series game.

Since then, Goodlettsville families have kept in touch with the Ugandan baseball program, which gets by with makeshift equipment and limited funding.

But a new box of equipment, clothes, gloves and catcher's gear in addition to about $500 in cash is now headed their way. Goodlettsville players collected the goods.

Shipping costs for equipment were another hurdle. The Tennessee team has tried to stretch the dollars further by donating it instead of sinking it into equipment that's costly to ship.

On the Ugandan side, the camaraderie has been effusive. Just this month, the coach who led the 2012 team, Henry Odongo, posted a photo on Facebook — still wearing a blue Goodlettsville team uniform given to him as a gift.

Reach Tony Gonzalez at 615-259-8089 and on Twitter @tgonzalez.

International funding has developed baseball programs in Uganda since 2002, but young players still learn on basic dirt and grass fields.(Photo: Submitted)